Here us why the podcasting wave will continue to surge.

Here is why the podcasting wave will continue to surge. Iglu Radio White Paper #3

Edison Research publishes an annual report, The Infinite Dial, chronicling changes in media use among Americans. A few statistics in their latest study jumped off the page to catch our attention. One- Americans own fewer radios today. Overall, 79% of us have a radio in our homes. In younger adults, 18-34, the number owning home radios is just 68%, down from 94% eight years ago. Two- Smartphone ownership continues to grow. We are not at 100% yet (surprisingly), but 76% of Americans now own one. Among 12-24 year-olds that number comes in at 93%. With the group over 55, it stands at 51%. Three- Podcast listening is up. In America, 21% of the population listens to at least one podcast per month and 13% listen weekly. For those that listen weekly, the respondents say they listen to an average of five podcasts per week. Considering that the current interest in podcasting caught fire with the debut of Serial in December 2015, the medium's rapid adoption and penetration is really quite remarkable. When you layer in the fact that America's preference for an audio listening device is shifting towards smartphones, it is easy to conclude that one plus two equals the continued growth of three.

The online dictionary, Wikipedia, estimates there are approximately 115,000 individual podcasts in existence today. On the Mindset website, consultant Minter Dial estimates there may be as many as 150,000. That amounts to a lot of podcasters all trying to cram into iTunes, Spreaker, iHeart and others hoping to be found and heard.

With such a congested field, we believe podcasters should enhance their new media presence with their own show specific app. Podcasters such as Adam Carolla, Rick & Bubba, Dave Ramsey, On The House, Glenn Beck, Dr. Drew and countless others have stand alone apps providing audiences with direct access to their podcasts.

May podcasters have shied away from developing a custom app simply because they did not believe they could afford one. Most cost thousands of dollars to create and the inexpensive ones are do-it-yourself templates that just don't have the polish required to help your brand shine in the digital marketplace. To help podcasters forge ahead with this aspect of their new media digital strategy, Iglu Radio offers a low-cost $99 solution designed to professionally put your podcast in this space. To learn more, please visit www.igluradio.com.

Have questions on what is the right strategy to boost your podcast's visibility? Contact us at info@radio-linx.com or 480-993-3150 for answers in a non-selling environment. Iglu Radio Podcaster app A service of RadioLinx info@radio-linx.com 480-993-3150